Sunday, November 2, 2014

A fan speaks: Alexander Jansson, out of the mist

All artwork shown is by Alexander Jansson.
Rolf.

Monsters in a flying hat.
The title of a book by Ellen Gilchrist, In the Land of Dreamy Dreams, comes to me when I look at the work of Alexander Jansson.  His illustrations are the firmer version of images I see in clouds, the benevolent creatures spotted from the corner of my eye, the ones I want to see more clearly, perhaps get to know if they are not too shy.  His ships sail upon skies or waters, his fantastic passengers knew exactly what sort of trip they were booking.  They each have a plan, however vague it might seem when told aloud.  Regardless, they are launched with confidence, determination or a spectacular amount of bravado.  There will be no turning back.

2 comments:

Melissa Green said...

I remember these very clearly from our beloved Alice Vegrova--I wonder where I was in 2014 that I didn't respond to this post then. Love these and love your very quiet, very shy and yet firm description of how his creatures operate in Imagination's--yours, his, mine and Ellen Gilchrist's--realm. Lovely paragraph of genuine wealth! xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Melissa - Thank you so much. Clearly, now is exactly the right time to respond. Lovely to see you here, with creatures of our kind. xoxo